August 2010 Update: Haven't
added anything new to this site
since
first putting
it
up
in
March.
Since then,
I've
been interviewed by at least a dozen more news outlets, mostly foreign.
I've now given up doing any more media stuff as these interviews have
gotten
to
the point of ad nauseum for me. Other than that, nothing new to report in
this regard, still living Paleo!

Vlad Averbukh (Vladimir Averbukh)

About that whole Caveman thing

I was recently featured in an AFP story on Paleolithic diets. They
followed me around for an hour as I was doing some outdoor calisthenics
and shopping
at Whole Foods. Earlier this year I was
also featured in a New
York Times article that talked about Paleo/Cavemen types in NYC.
In both cases, I agreed to speak to reporters because I wanted to spread
the message about Paleo. While I have no regrets about doing so, there
were a few things that I thought could’ve been explained better.
I wanted to briefly address some of the misconceptions that may arise
as a result.

Why Raw?

I started eating Paleo in early 2006, Loren Cordain’s The Paleo
Diet was one of the first books I read on the subject. As I learned more
about our ancestors, I adjusted my diet to include less carbohydrates
and more fat. I also came across some information that led me to believe
it is not necessary to always cook animal products. I began cooking at
low temperatures, hoping to avoid the loss of nutrients and taste that
I believe occurs when meat is overcooked. While I don’t think that
gently cooking meat is harmful, on days when I don’t have time to
devote to cooking, I find it easier to just eat my meat raw.

While I subscribe to the belief that raw or lightly cooked meat is optimal,
even a fully cooked Paleo diet is still a huge improvement over the so called
Standard American Diet. One doesn’t need to eat raw to get most of the
health benefits of Paleo. Eliminating grains, refined sugar and other processed
foods is the most important piece of Paleo.

So how much will this cost me?

The AFP article mentioned that I spend $70 a day on my food. This is
not entirely accurate as I spend far less in the warmer months eating
locally grown produce. I almost never spend more than $30 a day on food
in the summer. While I try to eat seasonally as much as I can, I still
buy imported organic fruit in the winter. I would typically go for less
sweet fruits such as blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries
and cherries. This stuff gets very pricey and accounts for most of my
daily food expenses. Since I prefer my meat very rare or raw, I get softer
cuts of meat such as ribeye, these are obviously more expensive as well.
While I realize I could spend a lot less by buying organ meats and frozen
beef, I would rather spend more and get fresher and higher quality food.

What about exercise?

For me, going Paleo has coincided with wanting to learn about movement
and anatomy. My interest led me to get certified as a personal trainer/fitness
instructor, which I put to use on weekends when I'm not working
in the IT field. I believe learning about exercise is as important as
diet. Just as conventional wisdom on nutrition is often wrong, the same
can be said for exercise. If more folks used evolution as a guide for
movement, we would not see as many machines and ellipticals in our gyms,
which I suspect may do more harm than good. I find bodyweight exercises
convenient and time efficient, it can be done home or outdoors without
any weights whatsoever. I also walk
around
the city a lot, it's not as sexy as going barefoot in the wild, but a
lot more practical.

While I see the benefits in simulating our ancestral exercise, it may
not be the best option for those whose posture and movement patterns are
flawed. For someone who spends most of their day sitting and slouching
in front of a computer, the best exercise might be isolation movements
to activate dormant muscles. And while early humans would not have practiced
Yoga or Pilates, it may indeed be beneficial if one has limited flexibility
and range of motion. So while I like the idea of Crossfit and MovNat,
as these would appear to be more paleo-friendly, one must be careful to
get proper instruction to avoid injuries.

Where to find grass-fed beef in New York City

In recent years, word has spread about both the environmental and nutritional
advantages to pastured animal products. However I still found it difficult
to track down genuine grass-fed beef. There is an increasing number of
stores and butchers in New York carrying organic, hormone free and antibiotic
free meats. While this is superior to most commercial meats, you must
look for labels that say "100% Grass Fed" or "Grass Finished".
Below I've made a list of places where I've bought grass-fed beef: